(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced that the Cokesbury Road bridge deck over all lanes of Interstate 78, located in Lebanon Borough, Hunterdon County, will be replaced.

NJDOT’s contractor, Konkus Corp., is scheduled to start construction operations to rehabilitate the northbound side of the bridge are scheduled on Friday night, October 26. At that time, the northbound side of the bridge will be closed with two-way traffic shifted onto the southbound travel lanes to accommodate the work. Cokesbury Road will be reduced from two travel lanes to one travel lane over the bridge in each direction. The first stage of construction is anticipated to last around 5-6 months, at which time traffic will be shifted onto the newly rehabilitated northbound bridge and work will begin on the southbound side.

NJDOT staged the construction to ensure that one travel lane will be maintained in each direction at all times during construction. However, the bridge will be closed to pedestrians for the duration of the project for safety reasons. Buses will be provided to transport students who usually walk across the bridge to and from Lebanon Borough School.

The staging of the bridge reconstruction work will require some associated traffic pattern changes, including ramp closures and truck restrictions, as follows:

• During the first stage of construction, the ramp from Cokesbury Road southbound to I-78 eastbound will be closed. Motorists will be directed to continue southbound on Cokesbury Road to Route 22 westbound to make a U-turn at the Round Valley Road (CR 751) jug handle to Route 22 eastbound to Cokesbury Road northbound to I-78 eastbound.

• The I-78 westbound Exit 20A ramp to Cokesbury Road southbound will be closed to large trucks for the duration of construction. Detoured trucks will be directed to continue on I-78 westbound to Exit 18 (Annandale) and turn left, opposite East Street, onto the ramp leading to I-78 and Route 22. Trucks will be directed toward Route 22 eastbound back to Cokesbury Road.

• NJDOT will utilize a temporarily realigned ramp exit from I-78 westbound to provide access to Cokesbury Road southbound for the duration of the project.

The $2.3 million project will replace the existing, structurally deficient bridge deck and superstructure, including sidewalks and parapets, carrying Cokesbury Road across all lanes of I-78. The existing steel girders will be cleaned and painted. NJDOT will also resurface the bridge deck approaches and replace guide rail throughout the project limits. A new bridge-mounted sign structure will be constructed. The project is scheduled for completion in early-summer 2013.

Variable message signs will notify motorists of upcoming traffic pattern changes. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. NJDOT provides emergency roadway information, construction schedule updates and real time traffic information and images at www.511nj.org